By Alex Gonzalez Reporter/Producer, Nevada News Service, a bureau of Public News Service.
Black voters will play a key role in determining who will win the 2024 presidential election.
And while Black voters remain overwhelmingly Democratic and support President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump, Biden’s edge over Trump is changing.
A new poll shows Trump is ahead of Biden in five crucial battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. The discontent is mainly over the economy and the war in Gaza – especially among young voters of color.
Rashawn Ray, senior fellow of governance studies with the Brookings Institution, said – contrary to a popular misconception – Black voters are not a monolith and do turn out to vote, with 2024 being no exception.
“Often they are choosing between the lesser of two evils because we have an overly simplistic two-party system,” said Ray, “and then the other part of this is, there are some people who would rather stay at home rather than vote for someone who they don’t think aligns with their particular politics and their cultural values.”
Ray said the narrative that Black people don’t vote is simply not true. Eligible Black voters stand out for higher turnout rates than their Latino and Asian counterparts, according to Pew Research Center.
They also tend to be younger than voters overall, with about 60% of eligible Black voters under 50.
Ashley C.J. Daniels, Project Director with the nonprofit Black Girls Vote, describes Black women as a powerhouse behind Democratic Party wins, saying many have become politically engaged, especially since 2020.
But she added that researchers like her know there is what she calls an “enthusiasm gap” in the 2024 election.
“Looking at some of the data, you have numerous reasons why there is an enthusiasm gap,” said Daniels. “You have some Black folks that are concerned about the ceasefire that is going in Gaza, and then you have some Black folks that are concerned about reproductive justice. You have others that are concerned about economics – so there is a variance.”
Daniels said it is important politicians understand that the Black vote is more complex than was previously considered.
Black voters hold a range of ideologies, including conservative views that account for about 10% of Black voters consistently casting their ballots for Republican candidates.
Supporting for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
